A Run in with a Runner, An Ichigo One Shot
by Harumi Kitomi
Summary: Veronica Guerra had found it surprisingly easy to fit into a Japanese style school system when she had moved to Japan. The only thing she hadn't found easy was falling in love with a certain carrot top and beating her rival Ryo at running. Ichigo X OC


**Any reviews, comments and overall opinions are much appreciated!**

* * *

><p><span>Info:<span>

Name: Veronica Guerra  
>Age:16<br>Height:5'2  
>Weight: 132<br>Appearance: Veronica has dark brown hair that reaches the middle of her back with light brown eyes. She has caramel colored skin. She is very athletic, she has strong, defined legs because of her being in the track team. She has a small chest, she is only a B cup but has curvy hips and butt.  
>Personality: Veronica is very loyal to her friends, she tries to be funny and lighten the mood during bad times. She loves laughing and smiling. The only person she actually tries to make angry is Ichigo to try to hide the fact that she likes him so she is always picking fights with him or making fun of him. She is also very competitive when it comes to sports.<br>Likes: The sunset, reading, quiet. She likes spicy and sweet things and running.  
>Dislikes: Loud noises, the dark, scary movies, snakes and mean people.<br>Best Friend: Tatsuki and Orihime  
>Enemy: Ryo Kunieda: They are both in the track team and Veronica and Ryo are always competing against each other on who is the fastest but Veronica always loses.<br>Past: She is Chad's cousin. She once went to visit her grandfather and met Chad, they became friends even though Chad hardly talked but they built a strong relationship. When she was old enough she moved to Japan to stay with her cousin for a while.  
>Special Ability: She has the same powers as Chad.<br>Race: Human  
>Weapon: Fists.<br>Crush: Ichigo

Story: A Run in with a Runner

Today was the day. I could feel it. Today was the day that I would finally beat Ryo Kunieda at our track meet after school. After all my weeks of training and pushing myself to the limit, I knew that today was the day I was going to beat him. Or so I thought.

"Hey loser, ready to eat my dust today after school?" I heard Ryo's husky voice call to me from behind.

I sighed and tried to ignore him as he pulled up next to me by my locker.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" he smirked as he leaned in to hear my answer.

"No. I'm just trying to save all my energy for the meet today. There's no need for me to waste it talking to you." I replied as I slammed my locker and headed off to class.

He laughed and caught up with me again. I really wished he was headed to another class but unfortunately he was headed to the same classroom as me.

"Sounds like your going to need all the energy you can get because there is no chance in hell you're ever going to beat me." He laughed again just as we entered Miss Oichi's classroom and I looked around for an empty seat.

I groaned when I noticed the only seat open was the one next to Ichigo Kurosaki by the window because Ryo quickly took the other empty seat in the back.

I glared at Ryo when he mouthed to me, 'Too slow!'

I reluctantly took my seat next to Ichigo as Miss Oichi prepared to start class. I looked over at him as he pulled out his history book and opened to page three-sixty two. He seemed irritated, and I had to admit, history wasn't exactly my favorite either. His bright orange hair seemed to gleam under the lights of the medium side classroom as he shifted his head so his curious brown eyes met my gaze. We stared at each other for a few seconds, not saying a word and I felt my face become a light shade of red.

"Miss Guerra." Miss Oichi called my name and I quickly looked away from Ichigo and met her amused gaze.

"Yes Miss Oichi?" I asked as she began to write something on the board in white chalk.

"Seeing as you think you are more than intelligent enough that you don't have to open your book, tell me, who was one of the most powerful overlords during the late fifteen-sixties who also had a dream of uniting all of Japan?" She smiled at me as I looked nervously around the room.

There were people staring at me smirks and some were even snickering. I sighed as I looked back up at Miss Oichi who seemed to be waiting patiently for my answer.

"I'm sorry Miss Oichi. I don't know." I said sincerely as I prepared to be made fun of by my peers.

Miss Oichi had always been the type to make fun of her students in the most embarrassing ways.

"Well that's a shame. Maybe if you actually opened your book and stopped staring at Mr. Kurosaki, you would know the answer." She continued to hold that interrogating smile of hers as she turned back to the board.

The entire classroom busted into laughter and I sunk down into my seat feeling embarrassed and flustered just as I noticed Ichigo peer at me from the corner of my eye. I ignored his optimistic look, took out my book and opened it to the correct page.

"Now, Nobunaga Oda was one of the most famous and great powers of his time..." Miss Oichi started as I tuned her voice out and peered out the window towards the track hoping my already embarrassing day would eventually turn into a good one later on, though I had my doubts...

"Hey Veronica... Veronica? Wake up..." Some one was shaking my harm slightly and I slowly peered up to see who had awoken me.

Chad, my cousin was standing over me, his hand on my shoulder along with an emotionless face to top it all off.

"Huh?" I asked as I stretched in my seat and looked around, only to notice that there was absolutely no one in the class room but Chad and I.

"I thought you were going to your track meet. It's three-thirty." He said in deep yet monotone voice.

"Three-thirty? Oh my god! Oh my god! I'm going to be late!" I sprung up from my seat immediately, grabbing all of my books and rushed out of the class room leaving Chad behind.

So much for conserving energy.

I dashed through the hallway after changing into my track gear and prayed I wasn't too late. This was the first time in history I had been even close to missing a meet and I didn't want to start now.

I easily brushed past the doors as I ran as fast as I could through the back of the school and stopped when I saw my tall and lean track teacher Mr. Kaizo watching students as they stretched for another long run.

"Mr. Kaizo!" I yelled out just as I breathlessly caught up to him to show that I was finally here.

"Veronica? I didn't think you were going to show up today. I was afraid you were going to forfeit and let your old rival Ryo win." He smiled at me as he marked me present on the track team least that he held in his hands which was attached to a clip board.

Mr. Kaizo was my favorite teacher. He never criticized me, always rooted for me and forever pushed me harder when it came to running the field.

I stayed by his side and attempted to catch my breath while I stretched out my arms and legs.

"So, do you think you can beat Ryo today?" he questioned as he watched the others stretch out and small chat with their competitors.

"Oh I don't think I can. I know I can." I spoke in a cocky yet confident voice and stood up, satisfied that I was done stretching.

"Well that's good to hear! I hope that's the truth because states is coming up and I would love to send you instead of Ryo. He just doesn't take running seriously enough." He said with a sigh.

"Well it's about time to start. Good luck." he smiled as he blew his whistle for us to line up at the starting line.

I sauntered over to the faded white line in the number three spot and Ryo stood in the number one spot on the other side of this girl named Kimiko. There were only six other members on our small track team and I didn't know any of them very well since I had only moved here weeks before.

"Alright guys, this is one our last meets before I decide who gets to go to states. I want you to give it your all and don't give up. You've all been working real hard these past few months and I don't want you to slack off now. As usual this will be an eight-hundred meter dash. So, when I blow the whistle, let all of that energy loose an go for it!" Mr. Kaizo spoke with enthusiasm like he usually did and I could feel my heart beat in my chest as I slowly looked over to see Ryo grinning.

'I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face. Just you wait.' I thought just as Mr. Kaizo blew the whistle and it echoed around the track.

That was the signal. I let loose all of my energy and rocketed across the pavement below me with brisk, light steps. I swiftly passed the other runners, letting them fall behind with ease. This only left Ryo to deal with, who happened to already be a few feet ahead of me. I took in deep breaths and let them out slowly as I picked up my pace and aimed to pass Ryo's heavy yet speedy steps. I felt pure adrenaline rush through my body as my shoes hit the hot pavement of the track. I had about a foot left to go before I caught up with Ryo and I wasn't about to give up now.

We had already passed the first line and the last line was sure to come up within seconds. I felt a random burst of excitement as I finally found the will and the energy to quicken up enough to meet up with Ryo. He seemed to be slow today which was odd but at the same time, I felt thankful for it. I was going to win. I was finally going to beat Ryo.

I pressed on, pushing myself harder, letting my feet hit the pavement quicker and felt a breeze come from behind as I slowly burst past Ryo and past the finish line a few seconds before him.

I stopped, my feet felt numb and my heart was beating so fast it felt like the world had stopped spinning. As I bent down, I started to breath heavily and sighed with joy.

Ryo walked up to me with the most angry look I had ever seen.

"That was cheep! There is no way you could have one!" His irritability made me chuckled.

"Sorry. I guess today was just my lucky day." I grinned as I stood up and slowly started to regain my breath.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes and stomped away from me furiously, not bothering to look back.

"Hey! That was awesome! Nice job Veronica! You finally beat Ryo! There may be a place for you at states yet!" Mr. Kaizo seemed just as ecstatic as me.

I laughed lightly as stretched out my now aching legs.

"Thanks." I grinned at him as I started to walk towards the benches to get a water bottle.

'I guess lady luck was on my side today. It's either that or I actually beat him because I'm just that good.' I thought, but was quick to laugh out loud at the last part because honestly, I knew that could never be true.

After about an hour of running and stretching and re-hydrating my body over and over again, I headed home feeling exhausted. It would take me awhile to get home and I could already see the sun setting in the horizon, but this didn't bother me. I often walked home while it was dark anyways.

I smiled to myself as I carried my backpack full of books and track gear. Today had been a good day with me finally beating Ryo and all. The only thing that was bothering me now was thinking about how I had stared at Ichigo during class and got caught. Sure I had been embarrassed in front of the whole class by Miss Oichi, but that wasn't what was bothering me.

What was bothering me was the fact that he had just stared back at me, gazing into my eyes with wonder. He hadn't given me any rude comments or weird looks. For once he acted the same as I felt. Well I hoped that's what it was anyways.

Ever since I moved here, I had been infatuated with Ichigo Kurosaki, Chads' friend. I gave him hell everyday and picked on him, but I knew deep down inside, it was only a bluff to cover up my little school girl crush on him. I didn't want him to know how much I liked him, or cared about him because I was afraid he wouldn't feel the same. It was kind of funny how a girl like me acted sometimes.

I sighed as I continued to think about Ichigo and walked slowly as I approached my little building I called a house. Sure I may have lived with Chad and his family but, I wished I could of at least lived somewhere nicer.

"So, on your way home after a long day I see." I heard a husky voice call from behind.

I immediately stopped and turned around with my hand on my hip, knowing exactly who it was.

"Ryo, I don't have time for your crap. I'm tired and I'm going home." I spoke with irritation but widened my eyes when I saw he was with a few friends who happened to be carrying baseball bats and big sticks.

"That's funny cause I was just about to do the same thing. That was, after I beat you down so you can't ever beat me again." His eyes lit up with rage and I backed away slowly.

"What the hell do you mean?" I gave him a fierce look but couldn't help but feel the fear running through my body.

"What do I mean? What I mean is your a liability to me. I can't have you here if you are better than me. I won't be the one going to states if your still here." He grinned and pointed at me.

"Let's get her!" he shouted just as I turned and ran as fast as I could.

My legs burned and begged me to stop, but I kept running because I didn't want to end up dead in the streets. Ryo had gone crazy. I beat him once and now he wanted to kill me. This competitive thing had really gone to his head.

I turned a corner and ran into an alley way to see if I could lose them. To my disdain I had run into a dead end.

'So much for lady luck being on my side today.' I thought as I backed up to the wall, the hard, cold concrete touching my back made me shiver.

"Looks like its a dead end for you Veronica. Too bad you had to get in my way." Ryo and his gang of bat wielding hooligans all laughed.

"Your going to be sorry!" I shouted in one last attempt to make him back off as I slid to the ground, cowering against the hard wall.

"Oh? Am I?" He cackled again just as he raised his bat in the air.

"Yeah. You are. Now leave her alone." A guys voice from behind them made them all turn around.

I was shocked to see Ichigo standing in the alley way with a smirk on his face and fists clenched at his side.

"Hey look guys its her little crush Carrot top. How-" Ryo couldn't finish his sentence because Ichigo jumped into the group of brawlers and started to beat their asses.

One by one he took them out, knocking them cold to the ground with out even getting hit. Ryo was the last one to go down, swiftly getting kicked in the jaw, blood running from his nose as soon as he hit the ground.

I was in total shock when Ichigo came over to me and held out a hand to help me up.

I took it, grateful he had been there to save me.

"Thanks." I managed to say as he smiled and held onto my hand, leading me out of the alley way.

Ichigo ended up walking me to my house, just in case Ryo and his gang got back up and chased me down again, but I doubted it. Not after the Beating Ichigo had given them.

I was standing awkwardly at the gate that lead to my front door along with Ichigo who was still holding my hand.

"Thanks again for saving me. I would have been a bloody pulp if you hadn't." I confessed, blushing a little as he continued to hold my hand.

"Anytime." He said, as he looked at me with wonder.

I felt nostalgia. It was just like before, when he was staring into my eyes at school, but this time, there was no one around to pick on me for it.

"So..." I said as I felt my hand getting sweaty with nervousness as he continued to hold my hand.

"So..." he mimicked as he seemed to be getting closer to me.

"Are you going to let go of my hand now?" I asked as I felt my face turn redder.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry!" he said quickly letting go of my hand as I noticed his face turn a light shade of pink.

I chuckled.

"It's okay." I replied as I was about to turn away and open the gate.

I noticed how dark it had become since the brawl in the ally. The stars were out and the moon was high in the sky. It must have been like nine o' clock by now.

"Well, I'm going to head inside." He seemed like he was about to walk away and most likely go home.

He had his hands shoved into his pockets and had a blank stare on his face.

"Okay. Well goodnight Veronica." He waved as he seemed to reluctantly turn away.

I suddenly became daring and ran over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck in a tight embrace. I looked up at him and his eyes went wide. I then proceeded to kiss him on the cheek real quick and pull away. He stared at me with confusion and was speechless as his cheeks became rosy.

"I'm sorry I pick on you all the time. And again, thanks for saving me Ichigo. You really are a good friend. Night." I laughed nervously and started to traipse toward the open gate, heading for home.

But before I could get there, I felt Ichigo grab my arm and he pulled me into him.

"If you ever need me to fight for you. Don't hesitate to ask." He said to me as I looked up at him with just as much confusion as he had given me.

"Alright." I swallowed hard and nodded as he let go of me.

"See yah." He said as he pulled away from me and began to walk down the street.

I stood there for a few minutes before turning to go inside. Maybe there was hope for me yet.


End file.
